Photographic developing apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for developing photographic material comprising a treating container having a trough-shaped bottom part and containing two horizontal spools for alternately winding up beltlike conveying means for the photographic material to be developed, wherein one of these spools is located within a removable container part forming a loading magazine which has an opening through which the conveying means may pass, and wherein this removable container part when connected to the other part of the container engages with and forms a part of the trough-shaped bottom part of the container which is filled with the treating liquid which is circulated therethrough.

United States Patent Michaells July 1 l, 1972 s41 PHOTOGRAPHIC DEVELOPING 1,564,148 12/1925 Sumter ..95/90.s APPARATUS 1,895,760 1/1933 Hunt ..95/89 R 3,375,593 4/1968 Fleisher et al... 95/89 R [72] Inventor: Werner Mlchaells, Kelterstrasse 45, 7053 3 3 4302 1 19 7 Doucene a 3L 5 39 R Rommelshausen 834,463 10/ 1906 Fennell 95/905 [22] Filed: My 13, 1970 2,386,78l 10/1945 Daly 95/89 0 1,561,699 1 H1925 Ybarrondo 95/905 [2]] Appl. No: 54,248 3,443,504 5/1969 Rose et al. ..95/90.5

Prima ExaminerSamuel S. Matthews [30] Foreign Appuuflon my Dam Assitla nt Examiner-Richard M. Sheer July 24, 1969 Germany .P I9 37 591.8 Attorney-Michael S Striker [52] US. Cl 95/90, 95/905, 95/93, [57] ABSTRACT 58 Field olSearch ..9S/89 90 90.5 93 94 9s a mans having a mughshaped 5, and containing two horizontal spools for alternately winding up beltlike conveying means for the photographic material to be developed, wherein one of these spools is located within a [56] CM removable container part forming a loading magazine which UNITED ATES PATENTS has an opening through which the conveying means may pass, and wherein this removable container part when connected to M 1 4/ the other part of the container engages with and forms a part 3 3 2n956 of the trough-shaped bottom part of the container which is 399,495 9/ I 908 filled with the treating liquid which is circulated therethrough. 2,862,432 l2/l958 15 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL 11 m2 3. 675,564

SHEET 1 or 2 INV TOR; VEQMUZ ACHAE'L r5 By firin PATENTEBJUL 1 1 m2 SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR- VEQ HER A vcHAEu} BY F. M

ruo'roonsrmc DEVELOPING mutants The present invention relates to an apparatus for developing photographic material including color films which comprises a treating container which may be closed lighttight.

The developing apparatus as employed priorto this invention are usually designed for tray, tank or rotation development of the photographic material.

In a tray development, the treating liquid may be easily affected by undesirable changes in temperature and the relative motions occurring between the treating liquid and the photographic material to be developed are also not uniform. This causes an unequal oxidation and an unequal flow and the results thereof (unequal bromide precipitation) which reduce the quality of the developed photographic material. Tray developing has the further disadvantage that larger quantities of photographic material cannot be treated at the same time nor be developed with a uniform quality. Furthermore, there is a danger that the person carrying out the developing operation may come in contact with the treating liquid in the open tray which may cause injuries to his skin.

Tank developing has the disadvantage that the tanks take up considerable space and also require considerable quantities of the treating liquids. A further disadvantage of tank developing is the length of time which it takes to convey the material to be developed from one tank to another.

The third type of development, the rotation development, takes up relatively little space but utilizes the chemicals only once and is therefore often uneconomical. The rotation development has the further disadvantages that the amount of treating liquid is too small in relation to the surface of the material to be treated, that the material remains only a short time within the bath of liquid, and that the photographic material to be developed can be inserted only into the developing apparatus itself.

For attaining satisfactory results in developing a photographic emulsion, several points have to be considered. The chemical reactions occurring during the development are very sensitive and extreme care must be taken for attaining the desired densities, contrasts, degrees of uniformity and freedom from spots. During a development not only the temperatures of the treating liquid but also the length of time of the development, the relative motion between the photographic emulsion and the treating liquid and the proper ratio between the surface area of the light-sensitive materials and the volume of the treating liquid are of the greatest importance. in order to comply adequately with these requirements, it has been necessary prior to this invention to provide expensive developing apparatus which, however, had one or more of the disadvantages as previously mentioned depending upon the particular type of development which was employed.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a developing apparatus which eliminates all of the disadvantages of the apparatus as were known heretofore.

Another object of the invention consists in providing a developing apparatus which permits photographic material to be developed outside of a darkroom and insures that the treating liquid will act sufficiently upon the photographic material so that the results of the development will be of a perfect quality.

A further object of the invention consists in providing an apparatus which permits an inexpensive development of individual pictures and series of pictures of a high quality and also permits such a development to be carried out either by automatically, semi-automatically or manually operated means.

it is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus which is designed so as to permit the manipulations and operations which are required for carrying out the developing process and other treatments of the photographic material which are connected with this process to consume the least possible length of time.

For attaining these objects, some of the important features of the invention consist in providing the developing apparatus with a treating container; in making the bottom part of this container of a troughlike shape; in providing this container with a pair of horizontal spools which are mounted parallel to and spaced from each other; in providing a flexible conveying means which is adapted to carry the photographic material to be developed and the opposite ends of which may be connected to the two spools; in providing means for rotating these spools so as to unwind the conveying means from one spool and to wind it up on the other spool while moving the conveying element with the photographic material thereon through the treating liquid; and in providing the trough-shaped bottom part of the treating container with an outlet which is adapted to be opened and closed.

An apparatus which is provided with these features may operate in such a manner that during the development the conveying means together with the photographic material which is attached thereto is subjected as long as possible to the action of the treating liquid and is wound back and forth at least once between the two spools while passing through the bath of liquid. By making the bottom part of the container of a troughlilre shape, it takes up the smallest possible space and substantially conforms to the shape and course of travel of the conveying means, while permitting the longest possible action of the treating liquid upon the photographic material. Due to the troughlike shape of the container bottom, there are also no angular recesses within the container in which the treating liquid might stagnate. The combination of a container of such a design with the provision of a drive mechanism for the two spools for moving the conveyer means together with the photographic material several times back and forth through the treating liquid, and with the further provision of a strong continuous circulation of this liquid within the container insures that the photographic material will be very accurately and uniformly developed.

For further increasing the length of time during which the photographic material may remain within the treating liquid and for thereby insuring that the development of the material will occur still more uniformly and without leaving any spots, another feature of the invention consists in preferably mounting the spools in such positions, that during a treatment even a part of the conveying means which is located on the spools themselves and is wound from one spool to the other and may also carry the photographic material is immersed in the treating liquid.

According to another feature of the invention, the develop ing apparatus is provided with a loading device in the form of a magazine which may be closed lighttight and be inserted into and removed from the treating container and into which the supply spool is inserted upon which the conveying device carrying the photographic material is wound and which, after being connected to the developing apparatus, forms a part of the treating container. Such a magazine has the advantage that the photographic material to be developed may be inserted therein in a dry part of the darkroom and that the filled magazine may then be connected in bright light to the developing apparatus. Consequently, the operation of the apparatus according to the invention requires considerably less time than the operation of the known apparatus in which the photographic material alter being exposed must be connected to the developing apparatus itself or to a conveying means in the darkroom.

These and further features and advantages of the present invention will become more clearly apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a diagrammatic cross section of the developing apparatus;

FIG. 2 shows a cross section which is taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the supply reel on which a part of the conveying device is wound;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the loading magazine; while inuun r HO. 5 shows a perspective view of the trough-shaped bottom of the developing container.

The developing apparatus according to the invention as illustrated in the drawings comprises a housing which, in turn, comprises a lighttight housing part 11 including a troughshaped tray 12, a second housing part 13 which partly encloses the housing part 11a and contains a supply chamber 14 for the treating liquid 15 in a position above the tray 12 in the housing part 110. Underneath the tray 12, the apparatus is further provided with a third housing part 16 which contains or forms a collecting container 17 for the treating liquid.

A pair of rollerlike spools 19 and which are adapted to be driven by a motor 18 are rotatably mounted at a certain distance from each other above the tray 12 and are adapted to drive a conveying means 21, hereafter also called a conveyer belt, so as to travel between the spools 19 and 20 through the treating liquid 15. The photographic material to be developed may be removably secured to the conveyor belt 21 by means of clamps or the like, not shown, and the conveyer belt 21 is wound off one spool 19 and wound up on the other spool 20 or vice versa, depending upon its direction of travel y, or y,. For guiding the conveyor belt 21 underneath the level 23 of the treating liquid, a guide roller 25 or the like is provided near the bottom 24 of the tray 12 and within the central longitudinal plane x x of the tray. The two spools 19 and 20 are located in such positions within or above the tray 12 that, when during the operation of the apparatus the conveyer belt 21 is being wound on or off the spools 19 and 20, a part of this belt together with the photographic material 22 which is attached thereto is immersed in the treating liquid 15 the level of which may reach up to the lower surface of the spools l9 and 20.

The spools 19 and 20 may be driven by an electric motor 18 through a gear 26 first in one direction, indicated by the arrow z,, and then in the other direction, indicated by the arrow z and at a speed which may be adjusted in accordance with the speed as required for the particular treatment. For reversing the direction of movement of the spools and the conveyer belt either the motor 18 or the gear 26 may be reversible.

The conveyer belt 21 consists of two narrow parallel belts 28 which are maintained at a uniform distance from each other by being connected by spacing rods 27 and are driven by pulleys 29 and 30 which form the ends of the spools 19 and 20. The spacing rods 27 have the additional purpose of carrying the photographic material 22 which may be connected thereto by clamps or the like, not shown.

The supply spool 19 is adapted to be inserted into a loading magazine 31 which may be closed lighttight, forms a part of the housing 11 and is removably secured to the housing part 110 which contains the take-up spool 20. This magazine 3| when connected to the developing apparatus has a wall 310 which tightly engages with the wall 11b of the housing part 1 la. The lower part 32 of the magazine 31 rests on the bottom 24 of tray 12 and extends from one to the other of the end walls 33 and 34 of the latter and thus forms in effect a part of tray 12. The lower end of the wall 31a of the magazine 31 adjacent to its bottom 31b is provided with an opening which is adapted to be closed lighttight by a slide member 35 which may be operated either mechanically or electrically and is provided with a pair of slots 36 which serve as lighttight passages through which a pair of connecting strips 37 on the ends of the two narrow belts 28 of the conveyor belt 21 may project from the magazine 31 when the conveyer belt is wound up on the supply spool 19. On the side 31c opposite to the wall 31a, magazine 31 is further provided with an opening 40 through which the supply spool 19 with the conveyer belt 21 thereon may be inserted and which may thereafter be closed lighttight by means of a cover 39 which is pivotably connected at 390 to the top wall of the magazine.

The circulating system of the treating liquid comprises the supply container 14 which is located above the tray 12 and from which the liquid 15 flows by gravity through a supply line 41 into the tray 12, and then from the bottom 24 of the tray ill which has a funnellike cross section through an opening 42 which preferably has a length equal to the entire length L of the tray and is adapted to be closed by a trap door 43. From this opening 42 the liquid flows further through a downwardly inclined drain 424 into the collecting container 17 underneath the tray 12 from which the liquid is passed back either intermittently or continuously into the supply container 14 by means of a pump 44 which may consist, for example, of a hose pump which operates by continuously squeezing a hose element in the direction of flow. By the provision of valve means 45 it is possible to vary the effective cross-sectional size of the supply line 41 and thus to control the volume of liquid flowing from the supply container 14 into the tray 12.

The supply line 41 terminates into the tray 12 near the upper edge 33a of the end wall 33 of the tray so that the flow of the treating liquid extends in the direction of the arrow y, transverse to the directions of the movement of the material to be developed as indicated by the arrows y and so that a forceful current or a turbulent current occurs along the surface of this material. An additional liquid supply line similar to the line 41 may be provided at the opposite end wall 34 of the tray 15 and the flow of liquid to the opposite ends 33 and 34 of the tray may then occur either simultaneously through both supply lines or alternately first through one of these lines and then through the other.

In addition, the tray 12 is provided with an overflow 46 at the upper edge 33a of the wall 33 and, for example, with a level indicator 47.

The mode of operation of the developing apparatus as previously described is as follows:

At first, while the cover 31 is open, the supply spool 19 to which one end of the conveyer belt 21 is connected is inserted in a darkroom into the loading magazine 31 and the exposed photographic material 22 is then attached to the conveyer belt 2 1 and the latter is gradually wound up on the supply spool 19. The connecting straps 37 at the other end of the conveyer belt 21 are then pulled out of the magazine through the lighttight slots 36 in the slide member 35. The magazine 31 is then inserted in its closed position into the developing apparatus which may be done outside of the darkroom, and it may be secured to the apparatus by locking elements, not shown, which may operate, for example, by a snap action, while at the same time the connecting straps 37 and 38 on the conveyer belt 21 and on the take-up spool 20 are connected to each other. Thereafter, the slide member 35 on the magazine 31 is opened so that the developing liquid can flow from the supply container 14 through the opened valve 45 in the supply line 41 into the tray 12 including the part of this tray which is formed by the lower part 32 of magazine 31. The developer may then flow further through the opening 42 in the bottom 42 of tray 12 into the collecting container 17 from which it is conducted by the pump 44 back into the supply container 13.

When the motor 18 is started, it turns the take-up spool 20 in the direction of the arrow 2 so that the conveyer belt 21 together with the photographic material 22 which is to be developed will be unwound from the supply spool 19, pass through the tray 12 and be wound up on the take-up spool 20.

When the conveyer belt 21 is wound off the supply spool 19, the direction of rotation of the motor 18 or of the gear 26 is reversed, preferably automatically, so that the supply spool 19 will then be turned in the direction of the arrow 1,. The conveyer belt 21 is thereby wound off the take-up spool 20 and after passing through the tray 12 in the direction of the arrow it is again wound up on the supply spool 19.

The inlet valve 45 in the supply line 41 and the trap door 43 in the bottom 24 of tray 12 are adjusted for the treating process so that, when tray 12 has been filled with the treating liquid, the further supply of the liquid to the tray will be equal to the amount of liquid which is discharged therefrom. The treating liquid is thus continuously renewed and a regulated current of liquid which may also be turbulent passes directly along the surface of the photographic material to be treated.

If the level 23 of the liquid is regulated so as to reach approximately to the roller-shaped body of spools 19 and 20, the material to be developed will already be treated while it is wound up on one of the spools so that the period during which the material will be in direct contact with the liquid will be increased. Difi'erent lengths of time of treatment of the individual parts of the material carried by the conveyer belt while on one spool will be compensated by inversely different lengths of time of treatment of the material on the other spool.

When the developing process is completed, the inlet valve 45 is closed and, by opening the hinged closure or trap door 43 in the bottom 24 of tray 12 completely, the developing liquid will he suddenly discharged from the tray into the collecting container 17 from which it will then be pumped back into the supply container 14.

After the developing apparatus has been flushed out with a rinsing liquid, the fixing process may be carried out in the same manner as the developing process and afier the apparatus has again been flushed out, the washing process may also be carried out in the same manner. For these purposes, the supply container [3 may be divided into a number of chambers in accordance with the required number of different liquids or a plurality of supply containers may be provided which hold the different liquids as may be required and may be alternately connected to the tray 12.

When the different processes are completed, the loading magazine 31 with the developed material therein is closed by the slide member 35 and removed from the developing apparatus.

The apparatus according to the invention may also be modified by omitting the supply container 13 and/or the collecting container 17 if, for example, the liquid is drained from the tray 12 by means of a pump which then passes the liquid again into the tray so that the liquid will be circulated continuously through the tray.

Although my invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, 1 wish to have it understood that it is in no way limited to the details of such embodiments but is capable of numerous modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus fully disclosed my invention, what i claim is:

1. An apparatus for developing photographic material comprising a light-tight housing comprising a first housing part and a second housing part forming a loading magazine removably connected to said first housing part, each of said housing parts having a bottom portion which form, when said housing parts are connected, at trough-shaped tray for holding treating liquid; a first spool turnably mounted in said first housing part; a second spool turnably mounted in said second housing part; conveying means for receiving the photographic material connected to said spools and extending through said troughshaped tray and treating liquid therein; and means for winding said conveying means on one of said spools while unwinding it from the other spool, and vice versa.

2. A developing apparatus as defined in claim I, wherein said spools are turnable about horizontal axes located, when said housing parts are connected to each other, at substantially the same elevation and spaced from said trough-shaped tray in such a manner that the conveying means when wound on one of said spools dips with its lower portion into treating liquid in said trough-shaped tray.

3. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 2, and including means for circulating a treating liquid through said troughshaped tray formed by the bottom portions of said housing parts and for maintaining treating liquid in said trough-shaped tray at a constant level such that the photographic material on the conveyor means between said spools is flown over by treating liquid.

4. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein treating liquid is circulated through said trough-shaped tray in a direction transverse to the movement of said conveyer means.

5. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said housing parts have end walls abutting against each other when said housing parts are connected, said end walls having in the region of said bottom portions transversely extending slots providing communication between said housing parts when the same are connected to each other, and including a lid movable between an open and a closed position for lighttightly closing the slot in the end wall of said second housing part, when said housing parts are separated from each other.

6. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said lid is formed with a least one slot, and wherein said conveying means is initially wound up on the spool in said second housing part, and including connecting means at the free end of said conveying means for connecting the latter to the other spool, said connecting means extending when said housing parts are separated from each other and said lid is in said closed position, through said slot in said lid and light-tightly closing said slot.

7. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said second housing part is provided in a wall thereof opposite said end wall with an opening for inserting said second spool with said conveying means wound thereon into said second housing part, and including. a second lid for light-tightly closing said opening.

8. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said trough-shaped tray is provided in a bottom wall thereof with a liquid discharge opening and including means for closing said opening.

9. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said bottom wall is inclined with respect to the horizontal and said liquid discharge opening extends over the whole width of said bottom wall and is arranged at the lowest portion of the same.

10. A developing apparatus as defined in claim I, and including indicating means for indicating the level of liquid in said trough-shaped tray.

1]. A developing apparatus as defined in claim I, and including guide means in said trough-shaped tray for guiding said conveying means adjacent to the bottom of said troughshaped tray.

12. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said conveying means comprises two elongated flexible members and a plurality of spacer rods extending transversely to said members and each connected at opposite ends thereof to said members, the photographic material being adapted to be connected to said spacer rods.

13. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 1, and including a supply container located above said trough-shaped tray and connected to said first housing part, and passage means providing communication between said supply container and said bottom portion of said first housing part.

14. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 13, and including an adjustable valve in said passage means for regulating flow of liquid therethrough.

15. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 13, and including a collecting container at a lower elevation than said trough-shaped tray, means for controlling flow of liquid from said trough-shaped tray into said collecting container, and pump means for pumping liquid from said collecting container into said supply container. 

1. An apparatus for developing photographic material comprising a light-tight housing comprising a first housing part and a second housing part forming a loading magazine removably connected to said first housing part, each of said housing parts having a bottom portion which form, when said housing parts are connected, a trough-shaped tray for holding treating liquid; a first spool turnably mounted in said first housing part; a second spool turnably mounted in said second housing part; conveying means for receiving the photographic material connected to said spools and extending through said trough-shaped tray and treating liquid therein; and means for winding said conveying means on one of said spools while unwinding it from the other spool, and vice versa.
 2. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said spools are turnable about horizontal axes located, when said housing parts are connected to each other, at substantially the same elevation and spaced from said trough-shaped tray in such a manner that the conveying means when wound on one of said spools dips with its lower portion into treating liquid in said trough-shaped tray.
 3. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 2, and including means for circulating a treating liquid through said trough-shaped tray formed by the bottom portions of said housing parts and for maintaining treating liquid in said trough-shaped tray at a constant level such that the photographic material on the conveyor means between said spools is flown over by treating liquid.
 4. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein treating liquid is circulated through said trough-shaped tray in a direction transverse to the movement of said conveyer means.
 5. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said housing parts have end walls abutting against each other when said housing parts are connected, said end walls having in the region of said bottom portions transversely extending slots providing communication between said housing parts when the same are connected to each other, and including a lid movable between an open and a closed position for light-tightly closing the slot in the end wall of said second housing part, when said housing parts are separated from each other.
 6. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 5, wherein said lid is formed with a least one slot, and wherein said conveying means is initially wound up on the spool in said second housing part, and including connecting means at the free end of said conveying means for connecting the latter to the other spool, said connecting means extending when said housing parts are separated from each other and said lid is in said closed position, through said slot in said lid and light-tightly closing said slot.
 7. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 6, wherein said second housing part is provided in a wall thereof opposite said end wall with an opening for inserting said second spool with said conveying means wound thereon into said second housing part, and including a second lid for light-tightly closing said opening.
 8. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said trough-shaped trAy is provided in a bottom wall thereof with a liquid discharge opening and including means for closing said opening.
 9. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein said bottom wall is inclined with respect to the horizontal and said liquid discharge opening extends over the whole width of said bottom wall and is arranged at the lowest portion of the same.
 10. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 1, and including indicating means for indicating the level of liquid in said trough-shaped tray.
 11. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 1, and including guide means in said trough-shaped tray for guiding said conveying means adjacent to the bottom of said trough-shaped tray.
 12. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said conveying means comprises two elongated flexible members and a plurality of spacer rods extending transversely to said members and each connected at opposite ends thereof to said members, the photographic material being adapted to be connected to said spacer rods.
 13. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 1, and including a supply container located above said trough-shaped tray and connected to said first housing part, and passage means providing communication between said supply container and said bottom portion of said first housing part.
 14. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 13, and including an adjustable valve in said passage means for regulating flow of liquid therethrough.
 15. A developing apparatus as defined in claim 13, and including a collecting container at a lower elevation than said trough-shaped tray, means for controlling flow of liquid from said trough-shaped tray into said collecting container, and pump means for pumping liquid from said collecting container into said supply container. 